Mainstream media chatter about Grand Theft Auto IV

by Ross Miller { Apr 29th 2008 at 4:00PM }

Instead of trying to do separate posts on all the mainstream media talk surrounding Grand Theft Auto IV's launch -- some good, some not -- we've decided to compile a list of the articles we found on the interwebs (with help from Game Politics):

Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies said critics of the game are "the same kind of people who complained about Elvis." (Scotsman.com)
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) said the portrayal of protagonist Niko as a thug "plays on untrue stereotypes." (MCVUK)
Grand Theft Childhood co-author Lawrence Kutner: "For most kids and most parents, the bottom-line results of our research can be summed up in a single word: Relax." (Seattle P-I)
Youth-gang crime exper Michael Chettleburgh called the controversy overhyped by the media. Video games are "just not a primary driver of why kids join gangs." (Metro)
Lawton, OK Police Chief Ronnie Smith: "Most of the young people who play these games ... they're smart enough to know they're only games." (KWSO)
Timothy Plan, a "morally responsible" mutual fund, sent out a press release explaining why it won't invest in publisher Take-Two. (Hint: It has to do with violence and boy-kissing.)
You-Know-Who is doing his thing.

Feel free to include mainstream media chatter you've found, positive or negative, in the comments below.

Check out all our coverage of Grand Theft Auto IV!

Tags: controversy, grand-theft-auto, grand-theft-auto-iv, gta, gtaiv, rockstar, take-two

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Markez (MKWii 4339-2878-5120) @ Apr 29th 2008 4:04PM

Well, I could care less about Michael Chettleburgh's well-reasoned response. Next time I see him I'm gonna sock him in the mouth.

I can has GTA?

LaughingTarget @ Apr 29th 2008 7:13PM

He's on to something, maybe GTA4 will be the reason kids quit gangs, they'll be too busy pretending to be gangsters to be real gangsters.

Raikage (LDF CRAB BATTLE!!!) @ Apr 29th 2008 8:45PM

No you can't has GTA4! You has Wii!

Like me:(

Markez (MKWii 4339-2878-5120) @ Apr 29th 2008 10:21PM

I has both I am good :)

syrik zero @ Apr 29th 2008 4:10PM

"You-Know-Who" Hahaha and we all do....

I'm glad it's not just being crushed be police and other people/agencies. That's something nice to hear =)

Jack Thompson @ Apr 29th 2008 9:54PM

Who?

t_m @ May 1st 2008 10:58PM

You know..

please @ Apr 29th 2008 4:10PM

Studies show kids who play violent get into more fights at school

Benny @ Apr 29th 2008 7:34PM

Studies show that boys get into more fights.

Tiptup300 @ Apr 30th 2008 1:14PM

Studies also have shown that global warming is caused by the inverse proportion of pirates in the world.

Lars @ Apr 30th 2008 3:41PM

Well, I play violent video games, and your comment made me want to punch you...

please @ Apr 29th 2008 4:12PM

Interactive Fiction is more conditioning than watching a movie

Lars @ Apr 30th 2008 3:44PM

And both pale in comparison to conditioning from life experiences.

Ryoga Vee @ Apr 29th 2008 4:12PM

Lawton, OK Police Chief Ronnie Smith!

Woo Hoo, Lawton Oklahoma Rep yo city!!

colin @ Apr 29th 2008 4:16PM

it is nice to see that more people are accepting violent videogames as what they are, games.

brandon_r87 @ Apr 29th 2008 10:01PM

Actually, that is something of a catch-22. When games are seen as violent, we're quick to cry "It's just a game!" But the rest of the time, we're seeking to be held as "high art." We're constantly fighting to be held at the same level as movies. I think most movies don't deserve the recognition as art that they get though.

And hopefully, my avatar and name will no longer be Jack Thompson when I post this. That joke has run its course.

colin @ Apr 29th 2008 11:44PM

brandon,
i understand your point, but i don't necessarily agree with it. whether it is viewing a classical painting depicting a festive orgy, playing Mass Effect, reading farenheit 451, watching a clockwork orange, or listening to NIN ... I don't want any person EVER to tell me that I can't or shouldn't. don't preach to me, preach to your kids, your polygamous church members, or the hookers you bang after taking your kids to soccer practice. (not you, brandon, just overzealous people in general).

my point being ... when it comes down to it, mass effect is just a game, fahrenheit 451 is just a book, a clockwork orange is just a movie, closer is just a song, and Bacchanal is just a painting. and if i wanted to cut off my testicles and put them in a jar, i should have the right to show my "artwork" to all interested parties. (as long as they were of the age of majority consent)

andrew @ Apr 29th 2008 4:25PM

They should just be happy that we arent out there committing crimes or shooting cops or whatever. This game is like..."everything you cant do in real life can happen here". A cop is a dick to me while writing a ticket? Im coming for you in my game bitch! always wanted to screw a hooker? Get one in the game!

they need to stop acting like video games are the only source of violence accessible to young people. what about movies? PASSION OF THE CHRIST WAS ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT MOVIES IVE EVER SEEN! but its loved by many. what about sports? football is pretty violent, ive seen some sick shit playing football in highschool. hockey has fist fights but its "part of the game"

i guess what im trying to say is...critics, chill the fuck out

Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 29th 2008 4:41PM

It's ironic too because the Oscar Best Picture winner for 2007 was No Country for Old Men and for 2006 it was The Departed, which were two of the most gruesome and gritty movies I've seen in the past few years.

PojoMofo @ Apr 29th 2008 4:29PM

I joined a gang because of GTA.

Its called the Sony Defense Force. It goes around kicking the crap out of nerd point lovers and laughing at there small hard drives :)

Johndude @ Apr 29th 2008 4:32PM

loving GTA 4

oh did you know that someone in London was stabbed last night while waiting for the game?

someone should tell you know who that for a laugh

lol

Mark @ Apr 29th 2008 4:31PM

I was suprised because CBS's morning show had a feature about the game that was relatively fair. Yeah, it talked about the controversy (but that's legitimate since the controversy is there), but it also featured people talking about the merits of the game.

required @ Apr 29th 2008 4:46PM

Video(games) killed the radio(active) star(field).

kihadat @ Apr 29th 2008 5:37PM

What is this "Grand Larceny" game everyone keeps talking about?

DavidB @ Apr 29th 2008 5:57PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7373348.stm

A man was stabbed in front of a queue of people waiting to buy the latest edition of a computer game.
Up to 100 people witnessed the knife attack outside the Gamestation store in Croydon, ahead of Monday's midnight release of Grand Theft Auto IV.
Police said the 23-year-old victim was walking past the queue when he was stabbed several times by a hooded man who appeared to be waiting in line.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

to steal a line I read elsewhere.. that M.O. sounds more Assassins Creed than GTA

Lars @ Apr 30th 2008 3:48PM

Clearly this proves that waiting in line makes people violent.

Double J @ Apr 29th 2008 5:59PM

Here's an awesome one from Komo 4 here in Seattle from Ken Schram:

http://www.komotv.com/features/kenschram/18338409.html

Best quote ever from a man in the media.

"Relax.

It's a video game.

It's not going to steal souls.

It's not going to rot minds.

It's pure fantasy.

In short, don't be such a nun."

boxmyth @ Apr 29th 2008 6:00PM

KTLA Morning News in LA (the only morning news worth watching in LA) had a nice story about the game possibly making more money than is in existence. Rockstar will have to find a wormhole to store all of their profit, they (didn't) say.

And the LA Times has a glowing review on the front of their Calendar section.

steve @ Apr 29th 2008 6:02PM

Larry says relax ^_^

Scilent @ Apr 29th 2008 7:01PM

You have to ask yourself though if the sex stuff is more than what an M game should have. It's kind of like R and NC-17 rated movies. Such a difficult debate because everybody varies. I think the best solution is to have a setting in the game to turn off that stuff. Like you could have it so the cuss words get bleeped, blood get's removed and maybe all the sex stuff taken out. The parents could set the settings and then have it passworded or something like that. I think there are other options instead of suing the retailers.

LAWL @ Apr 29th 2008 9:18PM

you know who must be rolling around in pain right now .

MakAttack @ Apr 29th 2008 11:45PM

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=%2090041944&ps=bb2

Great article, and interview with a Rockstar writer on NPR. Some funny moments where they play excepts from GTA Radio.

ManekiNeko @ Apr 30th 2008 12:05AM

So hey Rockstar guys, are you still pressuring game reviewers to give Grand Theft Auto perfect scores? All righty then.

I do agree with the Elvis comparison, though. Unfortunately, I'm thinking of the Elvis from 1977.

Seishino @ Apr 30th 2008 9:40AM

Isn't Thompson sanctioned from making filings with the Florida court system and from defaming Take Two?1

Andrew DeMaio @ Apr 30th 2008 9:32AM

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/12095302243020.xml&coll=1

From New Jersey's own liberal rag, the Star-Ledger.
"Grand Theft Auto IV puts players in control of Niko Bellic, a Balkan war veteran and flesh peddler who comes to realize his criminal ambitions in Liberty City, a.k.a. New York."

I've played through the Uncle Vlad mission, and have to see any evidence that Nikko is a "flesh peddler" or common thug.

Mike @ Apr 30th 2008 10:29AM

I think there's one major lesson in all of this- if you want to avoid the typical media witch hunt, make sure you release your game during an election year.

That way, there's already enough chum in the water to feed the sharks.

Lianne @ Apr 30th 2008 11:19AM

the portrayal of protagonist Niko as a thug "plays on untrue stereotypes." (MCVUK)

This may be true, but if we're going to rag on stereotypes presented in games, why don't we look at movies?

Nguyen @ Apr 30th 2008 12:32PM

Also, GTA4 made it onto Daily Show last night! Woot!

Questworld @ Apr 30th 2008 10:24PM

"Most of the young people who play these games ... they're smart enough to know they're only games."

Well sure, and the majority of society knows stealing and murdering is bad, but they're not the problem are they. It's the minority group we're worried about. Being stuck in a room with a thousand nice persons with one psycho killer with an uzi wouldn't make for a comforting atmosphere no matter how low the ratio is (unless you count bullets to victim ratio). I'm not saying any of such games are a direct cause (though "life imitating art" tends to happen) but an open mind for both claims on this issue couldn't hurt.